1898.] 
T. Bloch — Buddhistic statue from Qravastl. 
277 
Huviska, in the year 38 (38 in text; the plate gives 18), and here too 
the ancient form of sa is preserved throughout; hut ya in compound 
letters is given in its full form only once, in dryyena (line 4), and the 
rule as to the seriff on top of the second part of compound letters never 
appears to be observed. Thus, this isolated document cannot prove 
much against what I have said above as to the difference between the 
Northern Ksatrapa and Kusana type of writing. 
Now it is the former, not the latter, type to which the characters 
of the inscription from pravasti almost decidedly belong. This will be 
clear even from the facsimile given by Prof. Dowson. 1 
Thus : (a) the letter ya in compounds is expressed by its full form 
throughout with the only exception of pusya in line 1, where we have a 
ligature of exactly the same form as e.g. in the various compound 
letters sya in No. 12, of A. S. R., Vol. Ill, Plate XIV; thus, in line 1 : 
bhiksusya , line 2 : saddhyavihdrisya, bhiksusya, Balasya, trepitakasya , 
line 3 : acaryydndm ; 
0) sa is written in its ancient form, with a small cross-bar, through¬ 
out: viz., line 1 : bhiksusya , Pusya , line 2: bhiksusya ; 
(c) ga occurs in its archaic form throughout: viz., line 2 : dandagca, 
Qdvastiye ; 
(d) the rule as to the seriff in compound letters is observed almost 
throughout : see line 1 : purvaye, bhiksusya , line 2 : saddhyavihdrisya , 
bhiksusya , Balasya , trepitakasya , bodhisatvo, chdtram, ddnda , Cdvastiye, 
line 3 : acaryydndm , sarvastivadinam. There is only one exception from 
this rule, viz., the letter gca in dandagca (line 2). This letter exhibits 
a cursive form, which looks very much like gya, but there remains no 
doubt as to the correctness of my reading, as may be seen from the 
context; 
( e ) the shape of the letters is decidedly more angular and reminds 
one strongly of the letters in podasa’s inscriptions. In addition to this, 
I must call special attention to the da of dandagca (line 2), which is of 
a much more archaic form than that usually met with in Kusana. or 
even Northern Ksatrapa inscriptions. 
It is for all these reasons that I am inclined to believe that the 
inscription contained a date referring to the reign of one of the Ksatrapa 
the Seth, the noble Rudradasa, the son of the Seth Qivadasa, in adoration of the 
Arliants.” Both the Donor’s and his father’s name are compounds mado with Qiva, 
the pillar is described as being as big as Nandin, the famous vehicle of (hva; but 
the concluding words dedicate the monument to the Arhants. Jainism apparently 
already in those early times was as much mixed up with (^aivism as its greater rival, 
Buddhism. 
1 I regret that it is impossible at present to publish a photograph of the Statue 
or a facsimile of the Inscription. 
